Flat Rock — which will sell its spirits under the “Stillwrights” label — is “making bourbon every week on a decent scale,” and is producing smaller batches of rum and moonshine to gear up for an opening that is tentatively projected for mid-October, according to Flat Rock Spirits’ co-owner Brad Measel.
Measel and his partners — his brother Shawn Measel and cousin James Bagford — have opened a gift shop at the site of its future tasting room at 5380 Intrastate Drive near the Ohio 444/Interstate 675 interchange, selling items such as t-shirts and shot glasses.
The distillery’s owners still must get approval from regulatory authorities for its “Stillwrights” labels. When Flat Rock’s tasting room opens this fall, the distillery will likely offer two flavored moonshine products, apple pie and peach cobbler, and an unflavored “white” moonshine, followed later in the year by a silver rum and spiced rum, Measel said.
The distillery’s first batches of bourbon are still in barrel, and their release date hasn’t been set.
State officials said last year after the new distillery law took effect that they expect it will trigger growth and expansion in an emerging industry, promote tourism, create jobs, generate tax revenues, and create new demand for Ohio agricultural products such as fruits and grains.
“The opportunity for Ohio artisans to create or expand a small business with unique products is exciting,” David Goodman, director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, said at the time. “The (previous) law had set a quota for only three of these licenses in the entire state; it just didn’t make sense to limit the opportunity. … These are small companies producing unique products with local or niche audiences in mind.”
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